Monkeys of New Delhi

At the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, rhesus macaques have pilfered the possessions of athletes. This sort of thing is common in New Delhi. Monkeys even injure people on occasion. In one notable case, a city official died after monkeys hurled a flower pot onto his head. Hindus, who comprise 87% of the population of the city, hold the animals sacred. For that reason, the monkeys roam unmolested. At least, by people.

The solution to this monkey problem may be bigger monkeys. The Indian government keeps a squad of trained langurs for just such an emergency. These slender monkeys may stand five feet high. They treat smaller simians as rivals for food, and are often willing to kill them.

Wild langurs occasionally harm people, just as macaques do. These trained ones will remain leashed, as in the video above, until the trainers spot a likely crowd of trouble-making macaques.